Sal Pugliesesays:

May 1, 2017 1:24 pm

Gregory Morrowsays:

May 1, 2017 1:28 pm

Quite a few Western makes. This is apparently Ploshad Narodnie Sobranie, a major street (correct if I am wrong). Notice the airline offices: Balkan Bulgarian and Air France on the right, and on the left CSA (Czechoslovak Airlines). Airline offices were usually in a “high – rent” area…

May 2, 2017 10:17 am

Todd Lassasays:

May 1, 2017 2:06 pm

Looks like a white Renault (4?) headed our way, and a dark blue Simca parked next to it. On the right, the flanks of a ponton Mercedes-Benz, a blue Fiat wagon (or some Soviet satellite version) and something white that I can’t make out, between them. Late model white Mercedes 240/proto C-Class behind the Fiat.

italianironsays:

May 1, 2017 2:24 pm

The pair of Renaults on the left could well be among those locally assembled by the appropriately named Balkan Renault (Dacias they ain’t !). It is always interesting to remember that the most exotica cars ever to come out of the Eastern Bloc were built in Bulgaria: I am speaking about the Alpine Renaults (yeah, the same ones that were often seen in the European rallyes as winners ); also the nice 124 wagon could be a locally assembled example, rather than a genuine Turinese product or a Lada/Vaz. In this case, the cars were built at the Pirin Fiat factory.
Given their nods with the Eastern Bloc, no surprise to see Volvos around. There should be another Renault 10 between the light blue 124 and the black Merc, while those three Mercs clearly visible in the photo show the penchant toward the Three Pointed
Star products then common in the Balkans.
In general, a nice pic, with few recognizable Eastern Europe cars, and more Western autos than expected. The third car on the left, behind the black R8 and the white Fintail Merc could be a Neue Klasse BMW.

italianironsays:

May 1, 2017 2:42 pm

in effect, three consecutive generations of Mercedes are present in this Sofia scene. There is also another likely Mercedes as the fourth car in the left row, while there is way too much blur to exactly know what else there is. only conjectures can be made: the red car seems another Fiat 124 (maybe a dual-headlights Special ), while the maroon car somewhat behind it reminds me of yet another 124 or a Lancia Fulvia.
This photo can be used as a quick reference tool to immediately spot the differences between a Renault 8 (the Simca lookalike in dark grey on the far left) and its direct bigger brethren, the Renault 10 (the white car turning, here a second series with its rectangular lamps: the R10 was in initially available in round headlights versions).

Tissoissays:

May 1, 2017 2:27 pm

EdF (SATX)says:

May 1, 2017 4:51 pm

Observation-Street appears to be 2 way. The parking on the right side of the street from our view is a real mixed bag-quite a few cars parked against traffic flow, some with traffic flow.
The white car at bottom left of picture doesn’t appear to have a driver-an early autonomous car??

From Francesays:

May 2, 2017 12:34 am

Joe Essidsays:

May 2, 2017 8:22 am

As with the surprisingly large number of excellent Bulgarian mathematicians, some of whom have studied at my university and gone on to brilliant graduate careers, the city of Sofia was full of automotive surprises.

Gregory Morrowsays:

May 2, 2017 12:13 pm

Because of their mathematical skills, back in the 70’s and 80’s Bulgarian was chosen by COMECON to be an IT “powerhouse” The Bulgarians produced a reasonable copy of the IBM 360 mainframe, they also later produce calculators, PC’s, etc. Of course in that era their stuff was copies of Western computer technology…here is a quick Wiki:

“In the 1980s, Bulgaria manufactured computers according to an agreement within the COMECON:

Mainframes: IZOT series and ES EVM series (abbreviation from Edinnaya Sistema Elektronno Vichislitelnih Machin, or Unified Computer System — created in 1969 by USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, GDR, Poland and Czechoslovakia).

The largest computer factory was some 60 km (37 mi) from Sofia, in Pravetz. Another big facility was the plant “Electronika” in Sofia. Smaller plants throughout the country produced monitors and peripherals, notably DZU (Diskovi Zapametyavashti Ustroistva — Disk Memory Devices) — Stara Zagora made hard disks for mainframes and personal computers.

At its peak, Bulgaria supplied 40% of the computers in COMECON. The electronics industry employed 300,000 workers, and it generated 8 billion rubles a year (US$13.3 billion). Since the democratic changes in 1989 and the subsequent chaotic political and economic conditions, the once blooming Bulgarian computer industry almost completely disintegrated…”

By DAVID BINDER, Special to the New York Times
Published: July 4, 1985

“SOFIA, Bulgaria— This small Balkan nation is moving ambitiously on several fronts to develop capabilities in the manufacture of computers and other advanced-technology products.

It is a gigantic task, engineers and scientists here agree, the more so because Bulgaria until very recently was largely a rural, agricultural society. But the engineers and scientists have begun the effort with what one of them, Zhivko Zhelezov, called ”a mountain of optimism.”

Dr. Zhelezov is director of the Central Institute of Computing Technique, a facility that oversees 15 enterprises that manufacture personal computers, memory tape systems, disks, word processing terminals and other computer hardware. ”All research and development is done here,” he said of his 2,000-member institute, with headquarters in a large building on the eastern edge of Sofia.

The institute, whose acronym is ISOT, is affiliated with the export concern Isotimpex, which markets Bulgarian electronic products in more than 20 countries. Dr. Zhelezov said that ”more than 80 percent of the products are exported, mainly to socialist countries.”

Sharing Results

This is in large part due to the fact that Bulgaria has obligations as a member of the Soviet-directed Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, the East European counterpart of the Common Market, to share results of its specialization in electronics with the other members. Bulgaria has specialized in electronics and electrical products since the council, also known as Comecon, was established in 1949 and is, for instance, one of the world’s leading producers of electric forklifts.

The Soviet Union has supplied Bulgaria not only with the bulk of its oil and natural gas supplies, but also with heavy machinery and advanced technology in such fields as nuclear power. Within the framework of the Comecon system, Bulgaria has access to advanced Soviet technology insofar as it is marketed to its bloc allies.

‘A Great Success’

Dr. Zhelezov, a 49-year-old with an engaging smile and infectious enthusiasm, wears two other hats besides his directorship. He is a professor and a nonvoting member of the central committee of the ruling Communist Party.

The most significant export in his field, he said, is of data-processing equipment, which he called ”a great success in the last 15 years.” Among the export items are the Estel 21 systems for data transmission between computer and remote user, and the ES 2335 processor for matrix calculations used in seismic surveys, petroleum prospecting, oceanology and aerodynamics.

Asked to compare such products with their Western equivalents, Dr. Zhelezov replied: ”With regard to functional parameters and qualitative levels, we are losing speed. It is important to know this and we know it. It is natural to strive for the top level and we try. It is not easy, but we try.”

‘Wonderful Impressions’

He has been to the United States twice, including a brief look at California’s computer mecca, Silicon Valley, and came back with ”wonderful impressions,” but he said that he was disappointed by the Reagan Administration’s restrictions on sharing computer technology with Soviet bloc countries.

”We feel the readiness of American companies to cooperate with us, but American law prevents it,” he observed, continuing: ”From an American company’s point of view, we are perhaps less dangerous competition than other American companies because of the distance and the different markets. I think ultimately the Americans lose because we are forced to develop our own potentials. Our natural resource is our gray matter.”

Still, Bulgaria now appears on the scopes of American companies. Biorn Biornstad, president and general manager of Honeywell High-Tech Trading Inc., a unit of the Minneapolis-based Honeywell Inc., was here in late May for talks on cooperative projects.

A Different Approach

Asked whether his institute was attracted by the Silicon Valley example of a multitude of small companies competing to bring forth new software and other computer technology, Dr. Zhelezov said Bulgaria could not indulge private initiative, but could foster ”smaller organizations in universities.”

”In a certain sense we do this by organizing small enterprises of 30 to 80 people,” he said, but he cautioned, ”Bulgaria is not Silicon Valley.” A request by an American to visit a Bulgarian computer plant could not be met.

Some Bulgarians – Dr. Zhelezov is not one of them – proudly proclaim that a Bulgarian invented the computer. They refer to John Vincent Atanasoff, the American son of a Bulgarian immigrant who, with Clifford E. Berry, invented an electrical digital computer in Iowa in 1940. In any case, Dr. Atanasoff has been more widely celebrated here than in the United States.

Telecommunications Goals

Another technical area in which Bulgaria intends to make strides is telecommunications. This is welcome news to anyone who has made telephone calls in this country on what remains an antiquated system.

Last March, Pando Vanchev, the minister of communications, announced plans to build a series of electronic digital telephone exchange stations, a new international telephone station with French equipment, coaxial cable systems, radio relay lines and an improved telex network. By the end of the year, Mr. Vanchev said, the number of telephones is expected to increase to about 2 million, or 22 for every 100 Bulgarians.

In addition to these advanced-technology areas, Bulgaria is seeking to develop robots in cooperation with Japanese companies and is involved in laser optics and in research in new materials and biotechnology, according to Petar Georgiev, director of international relations of the soon-to-be-abolished State Committee for Science and Technological Progress.

The replacement of this governmental body with the newly strengthened Science Associations under the State Planning Commission is to take place in October…”

Howiesays:

May 2, 2017 10:27 am

Hanno Jaan Niidassays:

May 2, 2017 10:43 am

Quelque chose cloche, as the French say. The Renaults could be built by Bulgarrenault, which built the R8 and R10 under license for 6 years beginning 1965 (I believe). These cars were quite up to date in 1969. I’m baffled by the presence of Fiats (in 1969 these were definitely Fiats, because the VAZ-2101 began production in 1969, and the break version of the Lada, or VAZ-2102, was not introduced until 1971), Mercedes and Volvos. Perhaps these were purchased by people who were “gastarbeiters” working outside Bulgaria ? Not sure. The removal of the wiper blades was common practice in totalitarian socialist countries, because these were hard to obtain (especially for western vehicles) and often stolen if left in place.

The church in the backdrop is definitely Orthodox, but I can’t identify it. The most visible Orthodox church on Площад Народно Събрание is the St Sophia Cathedral, which is white, with gold domes and much bigger.

I’m also baffled by the presence of Air France, and to a lesser extent CSA (Czech Airlines). Travel within the socialist bloc was easier than to the west, but not cheap. Aeroflot had a monopoly on international travel of soviet citizens and all flights left from Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow (by the way, Bulgaria was never a soviet republic). Economic competition really didn’t exist. That said, most international travel was done by either soviet diplomats or high officials. In 1969 the average worker had virtually no hope to travel outside the socialist bloc. Bulgarians may have been freer to travel, but probably not as free as the citizens of the former Yugoslavia were.

Gregory Morrowsays:

May 2, 2017 12:02 pm

Both Air France and CSA – Czechoslovak Airlines served Sofia in 1969. Ordinary Bulgarians as far as I know were pretty restricted, they could only easily visit “fraternal socialist”, e.g. East Bloc countries. Travel would be somewhat easier for trusted Communist Party members, the “nomenklatura”, etc. Westerners of course could visit Bulgaria (a visa would have been required), you’d have a certain amount of “friends and family”, business, and diplomatic travel. At that time, too, Bulgaria was gearing up to build a tourist trade, they were constructing their Black Sea resorts, aka the “Red Riviera”; ; later on cheap charter flights from both East and West delivered tourists directly to these resorts…

East German friends often had their summer holidays in Hungary, because it was more free and open. But they also were fond of Bulgaria, they liked the historic sites and the beaches. They would either fly or drive (in their Trabants) to these holiday spots. Some Czech friends were able to visit Yugoslavia from time to time; for a period the Czech government even issued foreign travel passports valid only for Yugoslavia. East Germans ordinarily were barred from Yugoslavia, as the Yugoslavians had relatively “open” borders, with free travel in and out…beach – wise they could visit Bulgaria, Romania, or the Soviet Black Sea resorts

Here is an Air France timetable from May 1st, 1969. Sofia was served from Paris via either Prague or Beograd:

Fred Davisonsays:

May 2, 2017 10:53 am

I think my government might have lied to me. I was led to believe that all Soviet Bloc countries were drab, colorless places. All the people are supposed to be dressed in grey and walk with their heads down. Unless, this picture has been “colorized”.

May 2, 2017 11:19 am

Hanno Jaan Niidassays:

May 2, 2017 11:52 am

Dear Fred, you have not been lied to. The soviet union was a pretty drab, colourless place. I’ve identified only a dozen colours that were used for cars, and the same colours were used for all makes. You could have a Lada, a Moskvitch or a Zaparozhets in the same hideous shade of green or yellow. Even a Volga, if you were important enough. Bulgaria might have been another matter.

PHANTOM HAWKsays:

May 2, 2017 12:38 pm

A Mercedes with its snoot sticking out on the right and another [slightly older] tucked in second from the front on the left…transport for the ‘better to do’ masses…or tourists courtesy transportation?